Football: Indiana defense could be worst in Big Ten history

Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoMike De Sist | Milwaukee Journal SentinelJames White pulls away from Indiana cornerback Tim Bennett on the way to a 93-yard touchdown run on Wisconsin’s first play from scrimmage in a 51-3 victory over the Hoosiers on Saturday.

Mallory, also Indiana’s assistant head coach under Kevin Wilson the past three seasons, is too busy to be deterred by outside criticism as a game on Saturday looms against a No. 3 Ohio State (10-0) team that has won 22 straight and averages a Big Ten-best 49.4 points.

“I really don’t listen to it,” Mallory said. “I know what’s going on in the program, how close we are, and how hard we’re working. I’ve been brought up that way. My dad was a college coach, and in lean years I saw how he handled it. Sometimes the kids are affected more, but when you’re the guy in that position, it doesn’t faze me at all.”

Mallory, 48, a son of former Indiana coach Bill Mallory, is under fire because the Hoosiers are ranked last in the Big Ten in total defense for the third consecutive season, and the unit is on pace to shatter the league record for statistical futility.

Indiana is ranked 122nd nationally, ahead of only New Mexico State, in total defense (534.8 yards per game). The Hoosiers are 120th in rushing defense (251.1), 116th in passing defense (283.7) and are tied for 114th in scoring defense (38.8).

Indiana’s six conference opponents have averaged 582.5 yards, nearly 60 more than the Big Ten-record of 523.1 that Northwestern allowed per game in 1981.

Such gory statistics have dragged down Indiana to a 4-6 record despite its offense averaging 39.1 points. The Hoosiers have scored a school-record 52 touchdowns, but their defense has allowed 48.

Last week, Wisconsin totaled 676 yards of offense, including 554 rushing, in a 51-3 victory over Indiana, causing Wilson to be asked on Monday about Mallory’s future as his defensive coordinator.

“I’ll evaluate everything,” Wilson said. “I’m going to start with me. If there’s a problem with the defense, there is a problem with me. … I set the standard for it. My deal is we have not created the standard we need there (on defense). So I’ll start with myself. Then we’ll look at staff, we’ll keep looking at recruiting and player development.”

Opponents have totaled 500 or more yards of offense six times against Indiana, including 751 by Michigan and 623 by Missouri. The Hoosiers have allowed 10 players to rush for at least 100 yards, and six others have had 100-plus receiving yards, led by a Big Ten-record 369 for Michigan’s Jeremy Gallon.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Mallory said. “As a coach, you’re always looking at yourself first. Are we doing too much? Are we putting the kids in position to be successful?”

Inexperience has hampered Indiana. The Hoosiers have one senior, safety Greg Heban, on defense. Five true or redshirt freshmen played in the front seven against Wisconsin, led by linebacker Clyde Newton, who has had 25 tackles the past two games.

“We have too many missed assignments,” Mallory said. “I don’t know if the scheme is much different than what other people do out there, but we’ve got to get 11 guys playing on the same page. At times, we have eight or nine. One or two miss an assignment and we get beat.”

Breakdowns have led to big plays by opponents, such as James White’s 93-yard touchdown run on Wisconsin’s first play. The Badgers gained 420 of their yards on nine plays.

“You can’t play great defense if you’re giving up explosion plays,” Mallory said.

Ohio State has blown out its past three opponents, averaging 59.6 points and 639 yards of offense. Two of those performances came against an Illinois defense ranked 114th and a Purdue defense ranked 101st.

Indiana’s defense is statistically worse than those two, and worse than the Hoosiers defense that ranked 106th in total defense last season and 109th in 2011. Such numbers have Mallory on the hot seat.

“There are only certain things you can control,” he said, “You stay day by day. It’s a process. It’s not something that happens overnight.”